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Democrats Fight Back Against Net Neutrality Ruling

It looks like the Democrats are gearing up to keep net neutrality alive. After the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down current regulations on net neutrality the donkeys are kicking back with the Open Internet Preservation Act.

Democrat Representative, Henry Waxman

The Act is meant to preserve the net neutrality rules that were struck down after the court’s decision on January 14 of this year. The safeguard will last until the Federal Communication Commission reaches a conclusion on its amendment of current regulations.

The D.C. Court of Appeals stated in its decision that the FCC still has the right and authority in determining net neutrality laws, but the current regulations in place are too “overreaching.”

What is considered overreaching? According to the Associated Press, “the anti-discrimination and anti-blocking rules have barred broadband providers from prioritizing some types of Internet traffic over others.”

Despite this ruling of the FCC’s apparent control of the regulations, some fear that the government won’t view the commission’s new regulations as up to snuff, leading to a change in the way Americans interact with the Internet. If net neutrality regulations are left unchecked, Internet providers could potentially limit the availability of services to their customers.

The Associated Press quoted Verizon saying “[the decision] will not change consumers’ ability to access and use the Internet as they do now.” But due to a recent misunderstanding concerning Netflix, some aren’t so convinced. Will big Internet providers begin to shape the way we experience the web?

Here’s where the Democrats come in.

According to NBC News, the Open Internet Preservation Act has been introduced in both the House and the Senate. If the bill is passed, all net neutrality regulations in place before the January 14 ruling would be reinstated until the FCC comes to a decision.

Henry Waxman, one of the legislators spearheading the bill has stated, “the Internet is an engine of economic growth because it has always been a platform for competition and innovation. Our bill very simply ensures that customers can continue to access the content and applications of their choosing online.”

In the words of John Bergmayer, an attorney promoting Internet openness and public knowledge access, “remember that court decision from a couple of weeks ago? Forget about that.”